Minnesota Vikings: 3 Players that must shine vs. Giants in Week 5
3. Dalvin Cook
One player that the Minnesota Vikings are going to look for to get back on track and have a solid Week 5 showing is star running back Dalvin Cook. Cook, in his third year in the NFL and with the Vikings in 2019, is off to a really stellar start to the season while ranking second in the league in rushing, trailing Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey by just one yard for the top spot in the NFL.
Overall this season, Cook has rushed for 410 yards on the ground on a total of 71 rushing attempts. With five rushing touchdowns and an average of 5.8 yards per carry, Cook has recorded a season-long rush of 75 yards so far through four games.
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Cook has also shown the ability to be a reliable option through the air out of the backfield for Minnesota so far this season, offering another option for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to air out the ball throughout the course of a contest. Cook has a total of 15 receptions for 114 yards and a season-long reception of 18 yards.
Cook has arguably been one of, if not the top, running back in the NFL through four weeks of action. He kicked off the year by recording three straight 100-plus yard rushing games to help lead the Vikings to a 2-1 record going into last weekend’s Week 4 matchup in Chicago.
In the regular-season opener against Atlanta, Cook recorded 111 yards on the ground and two touchdowns to help Minnesota to a win. In Week 2 against Green Bay, he finished with a season-high 154 yards and one touchdown, following it up with a 110-yard and one-touchdown performance in Week 3 against Oakland.
In Week 4 against the Bears, however, Cook managed to rush for just 35 yards and one touchdown on 14 total carries against a tough Chicago rush defense. He did add six catches for 35 yards through the air, but it wasn’t the type of performance that we have been used to seeing out of the explosive back so far in the 2019 season.
On Sunday against the Giants in Week 5, Minnesota is going to have to get the ball to Cook once again and run the offense through him if the Vikings want to ultimately go on the road and grab their third win of the season on Sunday.